Countdown
by xxlovesuicide61xx
Summary: Sequel to Absolute Agony! Please go read that first. :D Severus has finally found relief in Hermione's feelings for him, but what happens while they wait for their relationship to be taken to the next level? A brief look into the countdown Hermione and Sev go through until they can finally be together, one month at a time.


Severus hadn't exactly planned on continuing his interactions with Hermione while the ten months were still in effect- he was worried that someone would notice- but he found that he couldn't quite help himself. She was addictive. So very damn addictive.

It was about three weeks later when Grimmauld Place was trapped in the heat of mid July. Severus was still jealously possessive over Hermione's choice of wardrobe, but he couldn't say that he'd be dressed any differently were he her. He hated having to wear his full robes in public. Cooling charms just weren't cutting it and he was sweating to the point where he was considering getting robes specially made with cooling charms set into the thread.

On one particularly hot night, at around 11 o'clock, Severus was reading in his bed, mercifully in sport shorts and a t-shirt, when he heard a knock on his door. He had one desperate hope of who it was.

Quickly applying concealment charms over his scars and dark mark, Severus rose to answer the door. it wasn't that he didn't trust Hermione- he did, very much- he just figured that it would be easier for all involved if neither one of them had to look at them. Some were particularly gruesome, as well as some of the newer ones still looking a bit too fresh to be comfortable.

His prayers were answered when he saw Hermione on the other side of the doorway. She was wearing what he assumed were called shorts in the technical sense and a short, thin strapped tank top. Her shirt rode up to reveal her tanned stomach, as well as a glint of jewelry hanging from her bellybutton. He was intrigued.

He cleared his throat.

"Hi."

"Hi." She replied enthusiastically, all smiles. "Can I come in?"

He wasn't sure at how much of a good idea that was, but where could the harm come from. If the members of the house couldn't find Hermione, his room was the literal last place they would look. And most of the house was asleep. And he could put up wards to keep out a herd of angry elephants. Severus stepped aside.

"Of course." Hermione near skipped past him into the room, her eyes lighting up the area with her happiness. He wondered if she had something planned or if she just wanted to see him. A part of him worried that perhaps she wanted to talk about what had taken place between them in the pool. Maybe she regretted it? Maybe she was going to tell of what they had done, incriminating him? Or maybe she completely trusted him and just wanted to be with him.

The last idea came into his head as he watched her sit down on the edge of his bed, looking for all the world like it was her own. She looked comfortable. Safe. She did trust him.

"I was having trouble sleeping. All this heat, you know?" He did know and nodded. "I was hoping that you'd still be awake. I thought maybe we could talk." Hermione's tone of voice implied that she didn't just mean talking, but that she wouldn't mind if it really only was just talking. Personally, Severus was all for not talking. For awhile, at least. He really did enjoy conversing with her.

"Of course. Talking would be nice." He decided to attempt some bravery and walked over to sit down next to her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her. She settled into his side and seemed comfortable. "Did you have anything in mind?"

Hermione turned her head into his shoulder, breathing him in. She turned, drawing her legs up and cuddled next to him, her arms moving to wrap around his waist.

"Not really." She sighed. "I guess I just wanted to spend some time with you, and talking seemed like a good excuse."

Severus had placed his chin on top of her head, and he could feel her words as she spoke. Looking down, he decided that there was no possible way that she could be comfortable in that position.

"Why don't we get more comfortable first?" He tried to keep the innuendo out of his voice but wasn't entirely sure that he succeeded. "I've no idea how you could possibly be comfy in that position."

"You'd be surprised at the positions that I could find comfortable." They both froze after she spoke, a strange silence now hanging in the air.

"I didn't actually say that out loud, did I?" Hermione's voice was quiet, unbelieving, embarrassed.

"I'm afraid you did." He kissed the top of her head and moved out of her embrace. "But if you'd like me to forget about it, I promise to do my best to never think of it in your presence."

Severus offered a hand to her and she took it, not quite looking at him. "I would appreciate that, thank you."

"You're welcome." With her hand in his, he guided her over to the top of the bed, sat down, and laid back against the pillows, his head propped up against the wall. He held out an arm, indicating that he wanted her near him. "Come here."

Hermione climbed onto the bed and nestled down into the perfect nook that Severus provided. He kissed her forehead and, despite the added body heat, decided that this was a much more comfortable position. He wrapped his arms around Hermione, she returning the gesture and draping an arm across his narrow waist. Her knees rested against his thigh and she found herself fascinated with his legs. They were long, the pale skin having rather little hair. What hair there was there was as pitch black as the hair on his head and stuck out starkly against his skin. The contrasting colors appeared unnatural, but Hermione decided that she liked it just the same. She liked anything belonging to him.

Severus kissed her head again and couldn't believe that she was there with him. It seemed too good to be true, completely unreal. But she was real. And it was perfect.

Hermione tilted her head back, looking up at him, not saying anything. Her eyes kept moving from his own down to his lips, and Severus was pretty sure he understood her message. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, savoring the feeling of her soft skin against his own. Trying to pull back, he found himself incapable, Hermione's free arm having traveled up to thread into the hair at the nape of his neck, holding him in place. She continued to kiss him, starting out as gently as he had but applying more and more pressure with each pass of her lips over his until Severus felt himself getting dizzy. He wished desperately that he could kiss her, really kiss her. He wanted to make her head spin.

After a few minutes, Hermione released his head and Severus was able to pull back, the two resting their heads together comfortably, sharing the air between them.

Severus reached down, grabbing at Hermione's ankles, and pulled them up towards him, twisting her legs around so that they draped across his lap. She was barefoot and he found himself fascinated with her feet, thinking back to a thought he had had a few weeks ago about giving anything to be left alone with her feet. He held back a laugh, but decided to commemorate his past self. Leaning down, Severus brought Hermione's left foot up and kissed her arch, making her laugh. Apparently she was ticklish. He would use this to his advantage later.

They spent the next hour sitting like that together, just enjoying being with each other, sharing the same space and being able to express their affections openly. Severus rubbed his hands along Hermione's legs which, while surprisingly cold, were incredibly smooth. Thinking back to the time he had spent enjoying himself between her thighs a few weeks ago, he started to question how her entire body, every single inch of her skin, could be so soft and smooth. He must've spent an especially long time stroking at a particular spot behind her knee, as she spoke up, answering his unspoken question.

"It's a spell that I invented in my first year." His head jerked up and he gave her a strong look. "What?" She didn't seem shocked at all.

"Spell making is an incredibly complex art. How did you manage to create one in your first year?" She smiled, leaned forward, and placed a kiss on his befuddled forehead.

"Are you forgetting, my dear, that you're talking to the girl that made a perfect batch of Polyjuice Potion in her second year?" Hermione raised her eyebrow in an imitation of him, not quite reaching his height but getting her point across nonetheless. "Besides. The thought of having to spend the rest of your life shaving your everything is motivation enough. Shaving the muggle way sucks. I couldn't believe that witches hadn't figured out a way to do it with magic yet."

He couldn't help but laugh. She had a point, although he had to admit that he didn't know the pain that women had to go through to shave their legs, but imagined that it couldn't be pleasant. And though he hated to admit it, he was glad that Hermione choosing to shave her lower regions seemed like a permanent decision. He wouldn't force her to do anything, but he admitted that he preferred the smooth feeling of her skin along his lips. And tongue. And in future his teeth. His thoughts led his body into a reaction and he could feel himself starting to get hard beneath her legs and he knew that he had to change the topic.

"This is true. Confess me impressed. I'm sorry to have offended." His tone was a mixture of playful and serious and it seemed to do the trick as she simply smiled at him and rested her head back against his shoulder. He continued to brush his hands along the cool skin of her legs, trying to get his thoughts to calm back down enough for him to be considered a respectable gentleman.

They stayed that way for what could have been hours, neither needing to check something as menial as time when they were together. It wasn't until the birds starting chirping and a faint light began to shine beneath Severus's window curtains that he finally moved. Looking down, he realized that Hermione had been asleep for the entire time. He had assumed that she had been as relaxed as he had been. Evidently he was right. It did something inside of him to know that she was comfortable enough with him that she felt safe enough to sleep. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy. Kissing her head, he spoke quietly to wake her.

"Hermione?" She let out the cutest of groans and snuggled down into him. "Hermione, love, wake up." Finding she could nuzzle no further, Hermione turned her head and looked up at him, her eyes tired and a sleepy smile on her face.

"Hey." Her voice was a little scratchy. He loved it.

"Hey." He brushed some hair back out of her eyes. "It's almost morning. You should get back to your room."

"Must I?" She groaned and placed a faint kiss against his lips. He kissed her back before replying.

"I'm afraid so. If you're found missing I shudder to think of what would happen. It's much better if you return to your own bed." Hermione shifted, standing up on her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I suppose you're right." His hands followed her lead and wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. "But maybe it could wait a few minutes?" She cocked her head to the side and looked adorable. He couldn't resist.

"Very well, perhaps a few minutes more." She smiled and kissed him.

SSHGSSHG

Severus slept through the day and was surprised to find Hermione knocking at his door once again.

"We really must stop meeting like this." He smiled.

"And here I was thinking that we really must do it more often." She smiled back.

He took her hand and brought her inside, closing the door quietly behind her and silently putting up a few wards. He didn't want anyone barging in on them.

Severus led them back over to his bed, and they assumed the same position that they had the previous night, this time with Hermione draping her legs over his lap from the start. Clearly she had enjoyed his attentions there from the night before. Moving his hand behind her head, Severus brought Hermione in for a kiss. Or two. Or four. He lost count after four. He could feel her smile against his lips and knew that even with her no three-sixty rule that it was still wrong, but he couldn't help but feel how right it was. He cared about this girl. Deeply. And she cared about him. That should be all that mattered.

Pulling back, Severus looked down into her eyes and sighed. Most people found brown to be something of a bland color, but hers were the farthest thing from bland. Light brown with flecks of green and yellow and a mischievous glint behind them that he knew she would always possess. Her eyes felt like home.

Severus pulled her close to him, needing to feel her in his embrace. Placing a kiss on her head, he breathed her in, enjoying the scent of her hair. Strawberries, with an underlying tone of chlorine. The scent of the chemical sent him back to the previous month and his body started reeling at the memory. He could feel his cock start to get hard and knew that it wouldn't do well to deny himself for a second night. And Hermione did seem willing to have a little fun. What could it hurt?

Pulling back, he placed his hand on Hermione's ankle and start brushing his calloused hand along her soft skin, slowly making his way up to her knee, and then to her thigh. He repeated the process with her other leg and found Hermione to be completely relaxed against him, her head against his chest and quiet moans slipping out whenever he would hit a particular spot along her legs. She was like putty in his arms and he loved it.

Reaching the edge of her shorts, he traced along the edge, seeing if there would be any protest from the girl in his arms, and ran his hand up beneath the soft fabric. He pulled his hand out and pulled the top corner of her shorts down a few inches, exposing her hip bone and the small tattoo that rested there. Reminding himself to explore that later, he caressed her exposed skin, making her twitch in his arms. He was pleased with himself. He was doing well. Circling her hipbone with his thumb, he tilted her head back so her lips could meet his, briefly, and then moved her head to the side so he could access her neck. His lips ran along the small cords of muscle that he found there, wishing desperately that he could bite at her skin. Instead, he kissed, hard, and periodically ran his tongue along an area that he could tell made her moan and sigh just that much louder. Her hands were gripping hard along his waist, trying to pull him closer. He sighed against her skin, loving the taste of her warm skin.

"Sev."

Her voice was gold to him and he moved his hand from her hip to the edge of her shirt, ultimately slipping his hand underneath. The skin of her stomach was soft like the rest of her, but he could feel a hardness of muscle lying underneath. He continued moving his hand up along her ribcage, continuing his kisses along her neck. He was shocked when Hermione almost jumped completely out of his embrace, his hands clearly having found a sensitive spot.

Severus nearly choked on his own saliva when he discovered that she wasn't wearing a bra. He should've known, but she had chosen to wear another oversized shirt on this particular night and he hadn't gotten that good of a look at her chest before she had cuddled up to him. She had jumped because his hands had reached the expanse of particularly soft skin that resided at the base of her breasts, the tops of his knuckles brushing against her properly. His thumb ran along that line of soft skin, causing Hermione to shove her head against his shoulder, unsure of how to react to the pleasing sensation.

Severus removed his lips from her neck, allowing Hermione to move her head back up to face his. Her eyes were blazing, the embers he found in them directed completely into his own. This is what he had missed the previous month- the primal light in her eyes that told him yes, more, please. He kissed her lips and brushed the palm of his hand along her nipple, swallowing down her gasp as he did so. It was a beautiful sound. Something that he rather desperately needed to hear again. He slid his fingers around the sides of her nipples, teasing her. He must have been doing something right, because she responded by rather abruptly biting his lip, despite her own rules. Bringing two fingers together, he pitched the poor tortured nipple gently, but enough to make her bite his lip again.

"Sev." She sounded even more desperate this time. He loved it. Shifting, he moved her to lie back on his bed, her hair haloing around his pillows. She looked beautiful. Smiling down at her, his hands went to the bottom of her shirt, grasping it firmly. He pulled the offending garment over her head, receiving quite a bit of help from her. It stuck briefly on her head, but they managed to get her out of it just fine.

It was his first look at her bare breasts, and he confessed himself amazed. She was even more beautiful than he had expected. And that was truly saying something. Her breasts were slightly too large for her small body, but he certainly wasn't complaining. Her nipples were small and looked like the perfect size to be sucked on. If only. It was a shame that that violated the three—sixty rule. Severus had a feeling that Hermione would be upset with her rules in a few short minutes. Then again, she did tend to violate them on the odd occasion, as demonstrated by her earlier biting of him. Severus would make due with what he could, meaning his lips and his tongue and his teeth, just not in an enclosed environment. He could make it work. He hoped.

He brought his hands up to lay gently on her breasts, just enjoying the feel of them. He tightened his grip slightly and confessed himself embarrassed at how much he enjoyed watching her soft flesh bulge between his spread fingers. He ran the tip of his index finger over one nipple, trying to gauge her reaction. Her body twitched and her eyes glowed. Severus had had a feeling that she would be the hyper responsive type. He was pleased that he was right.

He continued to tease at her nipple, running his finger around her, gently scrapping with his nail every now and again. He enjoyed watching her eyes as they slowly started to glaze over. He transitioned from using just the one finger to using both of his hands on her left breast, kneading and massaging her flesh. He was enjoying it far too much. He would cup at her breast and run his rough palms over her nipples and feel as her hips tried to arch up into his.

Severus couldn't help but look at her neglected right breast and wish that there were two of him. The nipple was straining and looked lonely compared to her left, which was receiving a double treatment. He decided to move his hands to her right breast and dropped down to run his tongue along the skin of her left. The tip of his tongue flicked at her nipple and traveled down to the bottom of her breast, teasing at the sensitive skin there. She was soft and warm and he was in love. He ran his tongue along the sides and up the valley between her breasts. His hands were busy with her right breast and he brought his teeth to her nipple, biting down and sucking on her for a moment, hoping desperately that she didn't notice that he was in violation of her rules. He reluctantly released her nipple, promising himself that he would spend hours and hours sucking on her once the nine months were up. Pulling back slightly, he touched the tip of his tongue to the tip of her nipple and gave short, quick licks. Hermione moaned, much louder than he had expected, and he appreciated it. Clearly she thoroughly enjoyed having her nipples played with. He would most definitely use that to his advantage in the future.

He moved his hands back to her now damp left breast and moved his mouth to her right, deeming it worthy of an equal amount of attention, if not more for having waited so patiently for him.

Severus teased at her perfect nipple again, this time deciding to spend some time on her breast proper as well. Her skin seemed to be just as sensitive as her nipple, and the licks that he was drawing up and down her breast seemed to be turning her on just as much. He decided that a mild violation would be worth it when he found a particular spot on the bottom of her breast that seemed to drive Hermione particularly wild. He sucked his little heart out, biting and licking at the spot as she moaned his named and gripped his head in her hands, keeping his mouth firmly planted there. He knew that it would bruise, wanted it to. He wanted to give her something to remember the experience by. To remember him by. And it was in an out of the way spot that would be covered even if she was in a bathing suit, so he didn't see the harm in leaving his mark.

His right hand left her breast and traveled along the side of her body, making her shiver and squirm, from want or from her just being ticklish he was unsure, but assumed that it was a good thing. He pressed his thumb nail into her hip before moving inward towards her shorts. He put as much of his weight as possible onto his knees and lifted his hips, sliding his hand into her shorts and beneath to her underwear. She was soaked completely through. He moaned around her flesh that was between his teeth and used a finger to circle around her clit. He dragged the tip of his finger down to the source of what he deemed to be everything good in the world and he desperately wanted to thrust his fingers inside of her. Damn her and her rules. They were harder on him than he got around her. For how much he hated it, Severus knew that it was just as difficult for her, if not more. She was the one who had implemented the rule, therefore she was the one who had to enforce it.

Still, he tried to work around the rule as much as possible and pressed his finger down, not in, her hot flesh wrapping around his finger rather than engulfing it. It would have to do. He got as much of her wetness as he could and brought it back up to her clit, providing an extra slickness to the skin there.

Severus removed his mouth from her breast and brought it up to her lips, kissing her hard. He licked along her lips so her mouth would open. They didn't need to have their tongues battle it out to have an openmouthed kiss. He simply just wanted to breathe the air that she did. His nail scratched at her clit and she moaned, Severus happily swallowing it down. He moved two of his fingers down to her entrance again, soaking them as much as he could, before removing them from her underwear and bringing them up to his face. He ripped his lips away from hers, not wanting to leave them, but still desperately wanting to taste her. He put both of his fingers into his mouth, relishing in the flavor that was completely her. He adored it. Hermione let out a large sigh at the sight and scratched her nails along his ribs, hoping he understood without words just what that sight did to her.

His fingers clean, Severus placed them back on her wet heat, their now cool feel creating an amazing contrast that left Hermione speechless. Moving his head back down, Severus kissed her, denying the rule again and thrusting his tongue into her mouth, just once. Just enough for her to get a taste of herself. Hermione moaned and pulled him closer, her hands tangled in his hair, tugging, making him moan in return. He denied her, keeping his tongue firmly in his mouth and battling her tongue out of his own when she tried to get another taste. She seemed adamant, so he did the next best thing.

Gathering as much of her between his fingers as her could, he pulled them up again and placed them against her lips. Her mouth opened instantly, drawing them both in. He quickly pulled his fingers out of her mouth, a scowl sternly in place on his face.

"You can share, or you won't receive any at all. Is that understood?" He had no idea where the sudden dominance came from, but he knew that he had definitely used his professor voice. He hadn't meant to, but it seemed to have worked. Hermione was nodding vigorously and trying to pull his arm closer. Severus split his fingers, giving his middle one to Hermione and bringing his index finger to his own mouth. They shared her taste between them, as well as Severus being treated to the taste of her mouth as well. They both went down as far as they possibly could on his fingers and their lips met awkwardly in the middle. It was at this point that Severus realized that they were still breaking her rule, but since they were both doing it, it didn't seem to matter as much.

Once his finger was clean from his end, he pulled them both from their mouths and sent them straight back down to her clit.

He was painfully hard and he knew that she could feel it. A finger on each side of her clit, he pressed down on his hand with his hips, grinding his erection into her center. The double sensation had her moaning into his mouth again, and he pulled back to look at her. Severus knew he was growing quickly obsessed with the current look on her face. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were bright and glazed over with a brilliance that screamed his name. Her lips were swollen from his kiss and damp around the edges from sucking on his finger. She looked perfect.

Severus pressed down even harder and rearranged his hand so he could keep rubbing at her clit and teasing at her opening.

"Sev. Please." Her voice was almost nonexistent and he could feel her muscles start to clench near his fingers. He couldn't help himself and shoved two of his fingers deep inside of her and she screamed out, her orgasm overtaking her. He pulled out and drove his fingers inside of her two, three times more before she finally relaxed, coming down with his name on her lips.

He was still desperately hard, but he knew that tonight wasn't about him. He didn't want it to be. It was about her. Shifting to the side, he pulled his very wet hand out of her shorts, casting a charm to clean her clothing. He started to lick his hand, watching her as he did so. Her body was slowly returning to earth, her eyes barely open as she looked at him.

"Don't go turning me on again. I can't be held accountable for my actions if you do." Her voice was quiet, but cute. He laughed and charmed his hand clean, wishing that he would have been able to finish cleaning her off of his skin himself. For her, he refrained.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm afraid I have some other things to take care of." He gestured vaguely towards his crotch. Hermione's eyes followed his hand and her eyes widened. Severus was momentarily confused before realizing that it was the first time that Hermione had seen him hard. Granted he was completely clothed, but he still provided an imposing pictured. He smirked internally, pleased that she was pleased with him and his size.

"Whelp, now you've done it. Turned on again." She moved to get up, rising to her knees, her breasts looking very enticing on her bare chest. Her hands moved to his shoulders, her eyes firmly set on their goal. "Allow me to- "

"-Oh no. You've had your fun for the night. It's time you get to bed. I can take care of this." She harrumphed and sat back on her legs, her lip stuck out petulantly. "Honestly. I'll be alright. And you look tired." He tried to make his voice as soothing as possible, and it seemed to work. Looking like she was going to give in, Hermione tried one more thing.

"Can I at least watch?" Nearly choking, Severus shot out a firm "No!"

Seeming to realize what he just exposed of himself, he tried a different approach.

"I promise my darling that next time, you can do what you will of me. How does that sound?" Hermione's eyes lit up and Severus wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake.

"Alright. I suppose that shall have to do." She kissed his lips and got off the bed, walking towards the door. She paused before it, her hands behind her back, her bottom lip between her teeth, still missing her shirt.

"Forgetting something?" Severus summoned her shirt to his hand and got off the bed, enjoying the blush that ran across her face and down to her chest.

"Oops."

"Oops, indeed. I will not have you galavanting through the halls shirtless. That view is for I and I alone." His face was stern, but his eyes were light.

Severus smiled and helped Hermione into her shirt. When it was on properly, he frowned and missed her breasts immediately. Then he took a better look at her shirt. Whose shirt was that anyway.

"Whose shirt is that, anyway?" The question came out of his mouth before he realized it. Hermione looked down, holding the shirt away from her and took a good look at it.

"Fred's, I think? Maybe George's? I'm not sure, I stole it a few years ago." Severus's eyes grew darker than night.

"Well we can't have any of that." He pulled the shirt promptly off Hermione's body, completely missing the squeak that she let out. Reaching down, he pulled his own sweaty shirt off of his body and onto hers. It looked much better.

"There. That's much better." Hermione stood there with an incredulous look on her face, silently asking him what was going on in his head. He answered. "I refuse to have a Weasley touching your breasts. Even if it's just via a shirt." Hermione nodded and smiled down at her feet, silently loving his open jealousy. She eyed his chest briefly before standing on the tips of her toes, her hands balancing her body on his shoulders. She kissed him with a love she hadn't previously known that she was capable. With a final, gentle kiss to his lips, she bid him goodnight and began the journey back down to her shared room.

The night itself had been amazing, his confident possession of her even better, but what truly had her floating down the hallway was what had happened right at the end. The trust that he had presented to her. The comfort. She wasn't even sure that he realized it. He had taken his shirt off and given it to her. Without any sort of preemptive measures.

He had let her see his scars.

Hermione smiled and shut the door behind her. She slept soundly that night, her nose snuggled into the shirt of her lover. She breathed deeply and dreamed of the man she loved.


End file.
